


Carry you over to a new morning

by SaoryEmanoelle



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Other, Past Abuse, Vanven, post kh3, venvan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25003747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaoryEmanoelle/pseuds/SaoryEmanoelle
Summary: All Vanitas asked was for Ventus to take him to the beach.
Relationships: Vanitas & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 45
Collections: VanVen Stannies Summer Event 2020





	Carry you over to a new morning

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for VanVen Stannies 2020 Summer event :3 The theme I chose was 'Beach'

It was almost sunrise.

Still, as far as he could see, there were still stars in the sky. Covering the world above, so much that it was hard to see beyond them.

He stepped forward. Even with his shoes on he could almost feel the sand under his feet. A ghost of a feeling, a ghost of a memory. He remembered the first time he ever set foot on a beach. The first time he ever set foot on that beach. He had felt so lost back then, but so comfortable and warm at the same time.

The stars were still there. Glowing like fireflies, taunting him and daring him to shine as much as them.

“How far?”

His voice sounded distant, like a wave breaking against an island far from reach. An echo from someone who existed long, long ago, before Light and Darkness had been split into two and relentlessly turned into good and evil. Even then, Ventus didn’t mind sounding distant as he did now. It didn’t matter to him. The only thing that mattered was that he made it to the beach. 

He lowered his gaze, looked down at the boy who dug his nails on his arm, silently asking for him to not let him go. Ventus pulled him closer, carrying him in his arms as carefully as he had done until now.

“...Closer.”

Vanitas’ voice wasn’t distant. It was terribly close, loud in his ears. It dared Ventus to speak louder. Dared him to prove he was the strongest between them, to prove he was victorious! 

But as he made his way closer to the water, holding Vanitas in his arms with his head against his chest and face growing paler by the minute, Ventus didn’t feel victorious. All he felt was the raven’s weight in his arms, arms scarred after their battle but still strong enough to carry his better half. Always strong enough to hold his better half.

He continued to walk. Vanitas wasn’t looking ahead, but Ventus knew he was aware. He felt it, pulling at his heart. He could hear him.

Home.

Ventus stood still, letting the cool wind run past them, making sure Vanitas felt it too. He waited for a moment and tried not to look down, afraid of what he might see, afraid of the empty eyes that would be staring back at him. 

When he finally looked, the stars seemed to shine brighter.

“... Venty Wenty...”

Vanitas laughed but his laughter was soft. Weak. _Playful_ , Ventus noted. He’d heard him laugh like this before, but he couldn’t tell where or when. Then Vanitas coughed and shivered, clutching at Ventus’ arms again, groaning in pain. Ventus gave him a sad smile and reached for his hand, gave it a gentle squeeze.

“… Do you want to feel the water?”

Vanitas closed his eyes with a tired sigh and a silent nod.

The blond took a few more steps into the ocean until the water was just below his knee. He leaned down and lowered Vanitas into it, gentle as to not move him more than necessary, and let him stretch his fingers in the water. Watched as he… Played with it, as much as he could, his head never moving.

“Heh… Just like I remembered it.”

They didn’t say anything for a while. The waves died down. The birds that chirped not long ago were silent. There was no one on the beach, no one in the ocean except them. It felt like time had stopped, the sun no longer rising, fate or whatever had brought them to that place giving them more time.

Time.

“... Do you want to sit on the sand now?”

Ventus wasn’t quite sure where that came from. He figured it made sense, that he could tell what Vanitas was thinking now. His hand had stopped moving in the water, but his eyes were still open.

“... Please.”

He took a deep breath, just as Vanitas himself did too. He exhaled, just as slowly as Vanitas did, and turned around, the cool wind gracefully playing with his hair. Just as carefree as he once was, as he should be. But not like this. Never like this.

The wind felt extremely cold this time. Ventus wasn’t sure if that was him or Vanitas shaking.

A slow, tired wave started to form in the distance. Ventus gazed back at it. There was no light stretching its hands toward him. 

Vanitas looked up at him, a child-like curiosity staring with an ounce of strength that he didn’t know where it had come from. Ventus looked back at him again just as that strength faded away.

“Huh…” Vanitas muttered, more to himself than to Ventus, but loud enough so he could hear. “This sucks.”

Ventus carefully put Vanitas down, holding him as he sat by his side. Vanitas leaned against him, resting his head on his arm. Ventus put an arm around him, held him close.

“... Not going to say anything?”

“Huh?” Ventus blinked and noticed Vanitas was smirking. “I’m…”

“I said this sucks…” 

Ventus blinked again. He felt like he should know what to say but he didn’t.

“I’m… What?”

Vanitas chuckled. Ventus could swear he was tearing up.

“You used to be so much more fun, Ven... ”

_Ven._

Ventus opened his mouth, but he really didn’t know what to say. What was Vanitas asking of him? He could feel something pulling at his (their) heart but it was quickly lost to him. Like a shadow passing by, fooling his eyes and making him see and feel things. Things he should know about but that were lost to…

“... You’ve learned a lot since then, uh.”

Time.

Vanitas’ voice was just a whisper. He blinked slowly, took some time to open his eyes again.

“... No, I didn’t.” Ventus replied. He looked down, dug his other hand in the sand. “I… Lost years of my life asleep. I didn’t learn anything.”

“Oh, you did. For one… You managed to defeat me. Congratulations!” Vanitas exclaimed, a well-known tone of irony in his words, but that too died off. Instead, he just looked ahead again, to the sun slowly making itself be known.

“You know I didn’t want this.” Ventus spoke and his voice broke. He pursed his lips, tightened his grip around Vanitas’ arm. “I didn’t… DIdn’t want any of this.”

“You didn’t want to kill me?” Vanitas sounded… Hurt for some reason. He raised a brow at the blond’s statement, unable to look at him. “Why not?”

“Of course I didn’t! And you know that!”

Vanitas hadn’t let Ventus use any healing spells. He had refused any potions, he had refused help ever since they left the battlefield. Ventus tried, more than once, to force a spell on him but hesitated at the last second. He knew, felt, that he shouldn’t. That he couldn’t.

All Vanitas asked was for Ventus to take him to the beach.

“The waves… Are much calmer here than in there...” The raven sighed, tired, and closed his eyes again. “... You would’ve agreed. If only...”

He went silent. Unmoving. Ventus held his breath, pulled him even closer, held his other hand open to summon Wayward Wind. Something in his mind told him not to.

_This is how I want it._

Vanitas opened his eyes. Their yellow color was gone, replaced by a beautiful tint of red. They were shining.

Ventus held back a shaky breath, held back the sob that was stuck in his throat for what felt like an eternity now.

“The stars...” Vanitas smiled again. “They’re… Pretty.”

A tear fell down his left eye. Ventus dried it with his thumb, gently caressing Vanitas’ cheek even as he continued to speak.

“Just... Not nearly as pretty as before… When it was just the two of us...”

Another tear fell down. Ventus gripped at Wayward Wind.

“Vanitas, please let me help you.”

“You don’t really remember, do you?” Vanitas asked, ignoring Ventus’ words, still looking at the ocean. Ventus’ grip on his Keyblade weakened.

_This is how I want to go._

“I...” Ventus looked away from him, trying not to cry more. “I am sorry, Vanitas. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Figured.” Vanitas sighed again. He took another breath but it felt like the air refused to go into his lungs. He tried again. Breathe in. Breathe out. “I thought this would happen. It was you who... ”

“It was I who…?”

“...Who thought it might work. When we were free. But, hey… I don’t blame you. It is… Better like this anyway...”

Ventus caught him just as he fell forward and held him, helped him sit up again. He didn’t know what he meant. He didn’t know what to do!

“Vanitas, please, tell me-!”

For the first time, Ventus took a good look at the blood trailing down his head, falling over his mouth. His armor, cut, shredded in many places along with his skin. His Keyblade, a nameless void, had been left on the battlefield, broken in half. 

“Vanitas…!” He called, desperate. “V… Vani!”

Time seemed to stop again. 

There was no sound when Vanitas looked at him with a tired smile. Ventus stared into his red eyes and a crystal clear image of both of them sitting on that same beach flashed before him. For a split second, whatever part of Vanitas that was slipping away returned to him and Ventus heard his own voice, far away, echoing.

_"When we're free... Maybe then we can finally hit the beach! The real one. We could even invite Sora and the others."_

_“Aren’t you tired of being here? We’ve seen enough of this place for the past ten years!”_

_“Aw, come on. I know you’ll want to take a swim too. We both need some time to recover after all.”_

_"Not me." The voice that was Vanitas said. "I just need you."_

Ventus opened his mouth to breathe, shaking, and pulled Vanitas to him, holding him tight, refusing to let him fall. Tears rolled down his face and he held his sobs back, just holding onto him, hold him, don’t let him go _-_

“Heh...” Vanitas sighed and Ventus realized he was crying too. Vanitas sniffled, his words mumbled with his crying. ”’Vani.’ I missed that...”

“Vani-” Ventus choked up. “P… Please, tell me what to do.”

“... Just… Stay with me...?”

A lost memory of Vanitas laying his head on his lap, watching the sunset together day after day, made itself clear in his mind. It was always warm where they were. It was always safe at Sora’s heart. Always safe at their home.

Time.

Ventus pulled Vanitas to lay on his lap and Vanitas smiled again. It felt nice. It felt just like before.

_“Man… This sucks.” Vanitas sighed for the millionth time since they found themselves there._

_“What? Being stuck in this place?”_

_“No. Being stuck with you, idiot.”_

_Ventus laughed and gave him a light push. “Shut up. You know you love me, admit it already.”_

_“Why should I state the obvious?” Vanitas asked and Ventus shook his head, blushing. “Of course I love you.”_

_“And you can’t live without me.”_

_“And I can’t leave without you.”_

_“And when we’re freed, you’ll come live with me and the others.“_

_“Now that’s asking too much, isn’t it?”_

_“Vani!”_

“Vani… I can heal you-”

“Don’t.”

“Vanitas… It doesn’t have to be like this! You know I never...”

“Wanted this… I know, Ven...” Vanitas looked up at him with a sad frown. “Neither did I. But… It’s too late now.”

“It’s not too late! I can heal you, why won’t you let me-”

“I am tired, Ven.”

Time.

“I fucked up...”Vanitas whispered, forcing himself to speak. “When I lost you… I joined him again, I-”

“It’s not your fault!“ Ventus retorted. “Xehanort… Xehanort is the only one to blame. I… I don’t blame you, Vani! I… I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there for you…!”

Ventus couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. He broke down, desperate. Helpless.

“If I could… If I could go back, I... I’d do anything to stop him from hurting you. I’d do anything to take you with me to a safe place, I’d...”

“... Do you mean it…?”

Vanitas no longer smiled, staring up at him with a sad frown. He couldn’t feel his body anymore. He couldn’t feel anything but his Light’s warmth.

“If you… Could go back, would… Would you p-protect me, Ven?”

Their stars were shining brighter than they’d ever done. A few more fell from Ventus’ eyes and he almost broke down again, but he pulled himself together. He cupped Vanitas’ cheek, stroking it with his thumb as gently as he could.

"Y-Yes, Vanitas.” Ventus said with resolve. “I would."

Vanitas leaned into Ventus' touch and warmth the same way he'd done a thousand times during the time they'd waited in Sora's heart. A low, tired sigh left his shaky lips and he looked at Ventus one more time.

"Well..." He gave him a sad smile. "Maybe... Next time then….?"

Ventus leaned down and pressed a kiss to Vanitas’ forehead. The boy’s eyes seemed to shine for a moment, never looking away from his Light until he was only staring but not longer seeing.

Sun rays covered the beach in a tint of orange and yellow and made shadows bleed from the trees, painting playful shapeless forms on the sand. Ventus remembered the first time he ever set foot on that beach. He had felt so lost back then, but so comfortable and warm at the same time. 

_“You know…” Vanitas asked, staring up at the sky._

_“Yeah?”_

_“When we’re out… Maybe I do want to take a swim. And maybe I do want to invite Sora and the others.”_

_“Oh?” Ventus laughed. “Is that a change of heart I see?”_

_“Call it whatever you like.” Vanitas laughed too and shrugged. He sat closer to Ventus and ruffled his hair before he put an arm around him. “Just promise me, whatever happens… You’re taking me to the beach.”_

_“Heh… Fine!” Ventus leaned on him. “It’s a promise.”_

The stars were still there. Glowing like fireflies, above and around him, blurring his sight. And as Ventus screamed and begged for Vanitas to answer him, as countless stars continued to fall from his eyes and down his cheeks, he realized he would never see the sunrise with Vanitas again.

**Author's Note:**

> The title for this fic comes from this song, one which I love and listened to while writing this story.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlshWg3isxQ
> 
> "Sleep, sugar, let your dreams flood in  
> Like waves of sweet fire, you're safe within  
> Sleep, sweetie, let your floods come rushing in  
> And carry you over to a new morning"


End file.
